A Delightful Read

By
E. Pearson
on
12-26-08

44 Scotland Street

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Robert Ian Mackenzie

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,229

Performance

920

Story

919

The brilliant Alexander McCall Smith became an international sensation with his New York Times best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels. His award-winning wit, made famous through that series, is fully on display in 44 Scotland Street.

Smith's answer to Maupin

By
Amazon Customer
on
10-23-05

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Lisette Lecat

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3,863

Performance

2,263

Story

2,270

Mma "Precious" Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, making her the only female detective in the country. At first, cases are hard to come by. But eventually, troubled people come to Precious with a variety of concerns. Potentially philandering husbands, seemingly schizophrenic doctors, and a missing boy who may have been killed by witch doctors all compel Precious to roam about in her tiny van, searching for clues.

Transcends its Genre

By
Gene
on
12-07-03

My Italian Bulldozer

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Timothy Ackroyd

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Unabridged

Overall

170

Performance

153

Story

156

When writer Paul Stewart heads to the idyllic Italian town of Montalcino to finish his already late book, it seems like the perfect escape from stressful city life. Upon landing, however, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he discovers his hired car is nowhere to be found. With no record of any reservation and no other cars available, it looks like Paul is stuck at the airport. That is, until an enterprising stranger offers him an unexpected alternative.

Suffused with Wisdom and Humor

By
Scott
on
04-17-17

The Sunday Philosophy Club

An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Davina Porter

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Unabridged

Overall

632

Performance

338

Story

333

New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, winner of the first-ever Saga Award for Wit, has entertained millions with his beloved
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries. Now this phenomenally popular author introduces a fresh series, brimming with the charm and humor his stable of dedicated fans can't get enough of.

Not Number One Ladies Detective Agency!

By
connie
on
06-06-08

Corduroy Mansions

A Novel

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Simon Prebble

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

535

Performance

399

Story

401

In London’s Pimlico neighborhood lies a tenement described in architectural guides as “a building of no interest whatsoever.” But the residents of Corduroy Mansions—including a literary agent, a wine merchant, a thoroughly unpleasant member of Parliament, and a vegetarian dog—are a rather fascinating lot.

A Delightful Read

By
E. Pearson
on
12-26-08

44 Scotland Street

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Robert Ian Mackenzie

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,229

Performance

920

Story

919

The brilliant Alexander McCall Smith became an international sensation with his New York Times best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels. His award-winning wit, made famous through that series, is fully on display in 44 Scotland Street.

Smith's answer to Maupin

By
Amazon Customer
on
10-23-05

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Lisette Lecat

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3,863

Performance

2,263

Story

2,270

Mma "Precious" Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, making her the only female detective in the country. At first, cases are hard to come by. But eventually, troubled people come to Precious with a variety of concerns. Potentially philandering husbands, seemingly schizophrenic doctors, and a missing boy who may have been killed by witch doctors all compel Precious to roam about in her tiny van, searching for clues.

Transcends its Genre

By
Gene
on
12-07-03

My Italian Bulldozer

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Timothy Ackroyd

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Unabridged

Overall

170

Performance

153

Story

156

When writer Paul Stewart heads to the idyllic Italian town of Montalcino to finish his already late book, it seems like the perfect escape from stressful city life. Upon landing, however, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he discovers his hired car is nowhere to be found. With no record of any reservation and no other cars available, it looks like Paul is stuck at the airport. That is, until an enterprising stranger offers him an unexpected alternative.

Suffused with Wisdom and Humor

By
Scott
on
04-17-17

The Sunday Philosophy Club

An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Davina Porter

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Unabridged

Overall

632

Performance

338

Story

333

New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, winner of the first-ever Saga Award for Wit, has entertained millions with his beloved
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries. Now this phenomenally popular author introduces a fresh series, brimming with the charm and humor his stable of dedicated fans can't get enough of.

Not Number One Ladies Detective Agency!

By
connie
on
06-06-08

Corduroy Mansions

A Novel

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Simon Prebble

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

535

Performance

399

Story

401

In London’s Pimlico neighborhood lies a tenement described in architectural guides as “a building of no interest whatsoever.” But the residents of Corduroy Mansions—including a literary agent, a wine merchant, a thoroughly unpleasant member of Parliament, and a vegetarian dog—are a rather fascinating lot.

Oedipus Snark, MP

By
connie
on
04-25-12

Sense & Sensibility

By:
Joanna Trollope

Narrated by:
Kate Reading

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Unabridged

Overall

55

Performance

53

Story

53

Elinor Dashwood, an architecture student, values patience and reliability. Her impulsive sister, Marianne, takes after their mother, Belle, and is fiery and creative, filling the house with her dramas and guitar playing while dreaming of going to art school. But when their father, Henry Dashwood, dies suddenly, his whole family finds itself forced out of Norland Park, their beloved home for twenty years.

Trollope is Fantastic

By
Sharon
on
11-21-13

Trains and Lovers

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Robert Ian Mackenzie

Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

91

Performance

81

Story

80

In the words of Alexander McCall Smith: "You feel the rocking of the train, you hear the sound of its wheels on the rails; you are in the world rather than suspended somewhere above it. And sometimes there are conversations to be had, which is what the overarching story in this collection is all about. It is a simple device: people brought together entertain one another with tales of what happened to them on trains. It takes place on a journey I frequently make myself and know well, the journey between Edinburgh and London. It is best read on a train, preferably that one."

Loved It

By
sharon
on
07-20-14

Chance Developments

It is said that a picture may be worth a thousand words, but an old photograph can inspire many more. In this beguiling book, Alexander McCall Smith casts his eye over five chanced-upon photographs from the era of black-and-white photography and imagines the stories behind them. Who were those people, what were their stories, why are they smiling, what made them sad?

Several "I wish that I had written that..."

By
N. David Blocher
on
01-20-17

My Man Jeeves

By:
P. G. Wodehouse

Narrated by:
Simon Prebble

Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,132

Performance

813

Story

818

My Man Jeeves, first published in 1919, introduced the world to affable, indolent Bertie Wooster and his precise, capable valet, Jeeves. Some of the finest examples of humorous writing found in English literature are woven around the relationship between these two men of very different classes and temperaments. Where Bertie is impetuous and feeble, Jeeves is coolheaded and poised.

Jeeves and Pepper

By
Ken
on
06-19-07

Cherringham - A Cosy Crime Series Compilation (Cherringham 1 - 3)

By:
Matthew Costello,
Neil Richards

Narrated by:
Neil Dudgeon

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,910

Performance

1,710

Story

1,701

Jack's a retired ex-cop from New York, seeking the simple life in Cherringham. Sarah's a Web designer who's moved back to the village find herself. But their lives are anything but quiet as the two team up to solve Cherringham's criminal mysteries. This compilation contains episodes 1 - 3: MURDER ON THAMES, MYSTERY AT THE MANOR and MURDER BY MOONLIGHT.

Great Find

By
Marie
on
10-29-16

Excellent Women

By:
Barbara Pym

Narrated by:
Jayne Entwistle

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged

Overall

989

Performance

910

Story

909

Mildred Lathbury is a clergyman's daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those excellent women - the smart, supportive, repressed women whom men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighbors - anthropologist Helena Napier; Helen's handsome, dashing husband, Rocky; and Julian Malory, the vicar next door - the novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived.

Still Waters Run Deep

By
Sara
on
04-13-16

Look Homeward, Angel

By:
Thomas Wolfe

Narrated by:
Scott Sowers

Length: 26 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

217

Performance

158

Story

162

The works of Thomas Wolfe cemented his legacy as one of the very best of the American Southern writers. Wolfe's largely autobiographical novel features Eugene Gant, who pines for a more expansive life after being born to a father whose bouts of maniacal raving are fueled by a prodigious appetite for drink.

One Of The Gret Novels Of The 20th Century

By
Eric
on
02-22-09

Strangeways to Oldham

The Belchester Chronicles, Book 1

By:
Andrea Frazer

Narrated by:
Patricia Gallimore

Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins

Unabridged

Overall

269

Performance

245

Story

244

Lady Amanda Golightly of Belchester Towers is a person in complete contrast to the stereotypical image of her upper-class breeding. She is short, portly, and embarrassingly forthright. On a visit to a local nursing home, she unexpectedly discovers a long-lost friend, Hugo Cholmondley-Crichton-Crump - and stumbles upon a murder. The pair turn to sleuthing after Lady Amanda reports her appalling discovery to the local police inspector, who treats her as a silly old biddy with an overactive imagination.

Simply fabulous

By
chuknzig
on
01-19-17

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

By:
Phaedra Patrick

Narrated by:
James Langton

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,200

Performance

1,108

Story

1,106

Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater-vest; waters his fern, Frederica; and heads out to his garden. But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam's death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam's possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he's never seen before.

Disappointing.

By
Yvonne
on
05-17-16

La's Orchestra Saves the World

A Novel

By:
Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by:
Emily Gray

Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins

Unabridged

Overall

157

Performance

81

Story

80

In 1939, Lavender flees London to escape the German bombs and her shattered marriage. Settling in a small town, she pulls together a makeshift orchestra to help cope with the times.

McCall Smith Does It Again!

By
Pamela Harvey
on
12-17-09

A Quiet Life in the Country

A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1

By:
T E Kinsey

Narrated by:
Elizabeth Knowelden

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4,059

Performance

3,647

Story

3,646

Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they've just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There's a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...

A nice cozy read!

By
Yvonne
on
11-30-16

The Cold Dish

A Walt Longmire Mystery

By:
Craig Johnson

Narrated by:
George Guidall

Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

9,949

Performance

8,538

Story

8,521

Introducing Wyoming's Sheriff Walt Longmire in this riveting novel from the
New York Times best-selling author of
Dry Bones, the first in the Longmire series, the basis for the hit Netflix original series
Longmire. Johnson draws on his deep attachment to the American West to produce a literary mystery of stunning authenticity, full of memorable characters.

Not Your Ordinary Western Novel (Series)

By
Dataman
on
09-12-12

Publisher's Summary

Professor Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, author of the highly regarded Portuguese Irregular Verbs (200 LTD copies sold!) and a pillar of the Institute of Romance Philology in the proud Bavarian city of Regensburg, finds that life is very difficult these days. His academic rival (and owner of a one-legged dachsund) Detlev-Amadeus Unterholzer has been winning undeserved recognition. With help from the matchmaking Ophelia Prinzel, he stumbles toward a romance with Frau Benz, a charming widow who owns her very own Schloss and a fleet of handsome cars.

While on the annual student study retreat in the Alps, von Igelfeld fearlessly plunges 3,000 feet into mountaineering history, only to suffer the ignominy of giving inspirational lectures about the experience. And at a dinner party, he is the only kind soul who can aid the aforementioned unfortunate dachshund, whose sticky wheels are in need of lubrication.

Story

The Professor!

This is the first time I have read this series about Professor Dr. Monitz-Maria Von Igelfeld and his dachshund. The title got my attention and of course it is written by Alexander McCall Smith, but I think I prefer the other two series I routinely listen to by Smith.In this story Professor Van Igelfeld discovers Detlev-Amadeus Untenholzer is on a short list to win an award. Of course Igelfeld think the committee mistook Untenholzer for himself and sets off to see if he can get that corrected. He lives in a Bavarian city of Regensburg and some of the story talks place at a resort in the Alps on a student retreat with lectures by Igelfeld. I will not give away what applies to the olive oil as it is unexpected. The story has some humor and per usual for a Smith book an ethical question or delemma. It is short and worth the read for a break from the usual stories. Paul Hecht did a good job narrating the story.

Oh von iglefeld you've done it again

What did you like about this audiobook?

wel I am sure the print version was very nice, and it is a book about a very important author so you must go to the library and check out the hard copy. I am positive though that my review would be much better if read by paul hecht.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Of course the sausage dog played a key roll. But poor Von Iglefeld he still does not know what he did to offend Frau Benz

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Well von iglefeld has a distinct personality and of course we like him better than Underholtzen and who wouldn't. However I could hang with the librarians Aunt who sounds like a hoot.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

the narrator brings these characters to life in a very funny way. These are really very ordinary people who act extraordinary. doctoral candidates are like high school without the angst.

Do you have any additional comments?

I left the review and came back and different questions were there so my answers may seem odd but if you were an expert in romance philology you would understand.

Must read!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Unusual Uses for Olive Oil to be better than the print version?

Don't know, only listened to it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Professor Von Igelfeld. He is so complex to everyone else but paradoxically so because he is so simplistic in his personal view of things. By simplistic I mean that he follows certain rules for everything in his life which then cause difficulties in his relationships with others. Even though his actions make your jaw drop sometimes in disbelief, you can't help but connect with and feel for Von Igelfeld.

What does Paul Hecht bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The perfect tone of the Professor's view of things. The way he reads makes it even funnier.

Any additional comments?

This series is one of my absolute favorites. I have listened to the series twice and will definitely listen to it again. There is far too much time between each book. Alexander McCall Smith is a superb writer. I would highly recommend this series.

My favorite McCAll Smith character

The hilarious and idiotic professor of philology, Professor Dr. Mortiz-Maria von Igelfeld, is McCall Smith's best character and the least known. I find much of Smith's writing very dull. But this series about his ridiculously pompous and clueless professor is laugh-out-loud fun! I highly recommend the first couple books in the series. Portuguese Irregular Verbs, The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs, and The Villa of Reduced Circumstances. Sausage Dogs is one of the funniest things I have EVER read. Sadly, this book does not live up to the others and I waited sooooo long for it! Perfectly narrated by Paul Hecht but the story just wasn't as good as in the other books.

Wonderful little read ...

I really enjoy Alex. McCall, particularly for the sophisticated quality of his writing and his apparent notion that we should make an effort in life to make it better for others, and to not grasp too hard at the apparent unkindnesses we are dealt in life.

The writing quality is very high in that Alex. tells a wonderful story with little understandings between the characters that I really adore.

Paul Hecht the Narrator really is wonderfully able to communicate these underlying meanings to the listener: What the characters say in their words and what they Really mean. I would love a talent for doing that in my own life!